Daijiworld Media Network - Florida

Florida, Sep 4: Florida has become the first U.S. state to announce plans to eliminate all state vaccine mandates, including those for schoolchildren. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo stated at a recent press conference that current vaccine requirements interfere with parents’ rights to make healthcare decisions for their kids.

This unprecedented move marks Florida’s full withdrawal from a policy widely credited with boosting vaccination rates and reducing the spread of infectious diseases, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.

The decision was met with swift backlash from health experts and officials. Democratic Representative Anna Eskamani condemned the policy on social media, calling it “reckless and dangerous” and warning it could lead to outbreaks of preventable illnesses. She described it as “a public health disaster in the making for the Sunshine State.”

Florida Senate Democratic leader Lori Berman also criticized the move, pointing out that the state already allows broad medical and religious exemptions for vaccines, so families opposed to vaccination can opt out without this drastic change.

Vaccine expert Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told The Washington Post that the repeal of mandates could cause diseases like measles to resurge, putting children at unnecessary risk. He called the decision “unprecedented” and expressed deep concern for public health.